Tis The Season
by laurae13
Summary: Just a few holiday one-shots involving some of our favorite characters.Final: Ron/Hermione! "He had decided it was time to propose to his girlfriend and he thought tonight would be the perfect time."
1. Mistletoe

**A/N: I have been in the mood to write lately and since it is the holiday season and I don't want to commit to a full-blown story at the moment, you will be getting holiday related one-shots! Just random drabbles that remind me of christmas involving some of my favorite characters. The first being about James and Lily.**

**Disclaimer: All I want for Christmas is to own Harry Potter, because right now, I do not.**

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><p>Lily sighed as she walked down the dimly lit but highly decorated corridor. She was left alone on patrol tonight seeing as Remus had to 'visit his sick grandmother' once again. It was alright, she had her suspicions about his monthly disappearances but if he didn't want to share the truth with her, she wasn't going to push. She couldn't help but feel a little bit insulted at how daft he believed her to be: Christmas holidays were only a few days away, does anybody really believe he would go to visit family, and then come back only to leave once again?<p>

So with Remus gone, she was left to patrol the third and fourth corridors alone. On top of that, Edwin Peppers and Penelope Hornsby had asked her to take over their shifts on the first and second floor as well because they had a History of Magic project to work on that was due the next day. Being as kind-hearted as she was; she said yes. Although, she began to regret it as when she finally got to patrolling the floors she and Remus were assigned, she was beat.

Students were wondering all about the castle. Sneaking out of their dormitories, trying to deliver presents to their friends in other houses, attempting to locate the kitchens for some warm hot chocolate or Christmas biscuits and of course the usual few older students who were not even trying to conceal themselves as they made their way hand in hand to the astronomy tower ("It's the holidays, let loose a little!").

Lily was making her back through the fourth floor. She had just come to the passage to the staircases when all the the sudden she couldn't move. Shocked, she tried to place another foot forward but found she could not move it from her spot on the floor. Dumbfounded by what was happening, she turned looked all around her to see if someone had silently jinxed her. She found no answer as to why she was stuck. Groaning she folded her arms crossly in front of her chest and looked up towards the ceiling. Ready to question the heavens about her bad day, she let out another quiet moan when she saw the little ball of green, glittering in the candlelight with red ribbon.

Mistletoe. A _bloody_ little mistletoe.

"Stupid Christmas superstition. Stupid magical mistletoe!" She muttered to herself as she pulled at her wand and started trying various spells to see if it could release its hold on her.

How was she supposed to get out of this, she was the only one patrolling the first four floors and all the prefect shifts were ending anyways. Not to mention, the only way to get out of a mistletoe was to be kissed. Surely, a teacher would know the counter spell, but who knew how long it would be until one came around.

Lily checked her watch and saw that it was nearing quarter past twelve. With her luck today, she would be stuck here till morning and a first year slytherin would find her.

"Merlin please let somebody decent find me."

"Evans?"

_Bloody hell, it is not my day._

She turned around to see the familiar messy black hair of James Potter. He was standing a few feet from her, one hand casually in his left pocket while the other flew to his hair, making it even more askew. He had a curious expression on his face although slightly mixed with a small smile at the sight of her.

"What are you doing out this late? The holiday cheer getting to you? Finally decided to give in and have a little fun. All in the name of Christmas of course." He justified for her, his smiling widening at the thought of her rebelling.

"I'm about to ask you the same question Potter. I'm a prefect, I have reason to be here, and you on the other hand do not." She said, looking at him. A horrible thought struck her; she can not let James Potter realize she was stuck under mistletoe, waiting, in need of somebody to kiss her. Oh Merlin, that would be terrible.

"I believe prefects should have been done their patrols a half hour ago Evans, which leads me to question again, what's keeping you?" He ignored.

"I was asked to take over two other corridors tonight, and with Remus being gone, I was alone so it took me a little longer. Get back to your bed Potter." She said, arms still crossed, glaring at him.

"Calm down, I was heading back to the common room now. And since you are too, let's walk back together. What kind of gentlemen would I be if I left you on your own accord at this time of the night?" He charmed her and took a few starting steps towards her. She gulped and kept her head up.

"I can make my way back to the common room on my own, perfectly well, thank you very much." She said shortly.

"Oh come on Evans, I'm just trying to be nice." He exclaimed disbelievingly. "Look fine, we're not walking back together. But I'm going that way and so are you, so let's just walk beside each other." He said finding another way around her response.

When she made no movement or acknowledgement, he looked towards her confused. They were locked in a staring contest for a moment, James waiting for her to come out of her fit of pride. When he realized she was being completely serious he rolled his eyes at her behavior.

It was then that he too noticed the mistletoe just like she had. He let out a loud laugh and she cringed as she began to think of what would happen now. After he had finished his bout of laughter and looked towards her again, she was quick to say "don't even think about it Potter" with a strong glare attached with her quick words.

"Really, Evans? You got stuck under mistletoe? How long have you been here then?" He said with a giant smirk sitting upon his features. Oh how she would love to hex it right off of him.

"Not long actually, and I would much rather stay here for the rest eternity than to kiss you, so you can leave any moment now." She exclaimed.

He laughed once again and continued to look at her. She was getting anxious under his strong eyes and she was avoiding looking anywhere near his face.

Then, he slowly started walking towards her and her eyes widened dramatically. "I mean it Potter, if you take one more step towards me, I will make sure you don't live to see tomorrow." She said while trying to fight against the magic of the mistletoe again.

He continued a few more steps towards her and ignored her protests and calling of his name. He silently took out his wand, pointed it at the small plant and murmured the counter curse he had learned as a child.

Lily let out a surprised breath when she felt the strong restraints break hold of her. She quickly stepped out of the way of the mistletoe and looked at James Potter in surprise.

"Now will you let me walk you back to the tower?" He asked politely while ignoring her confused expression.

Still speechless, she nodded slightly and let James lead the way. Together, they walked back in an oddly comfortable silence up the stairs. Lily couldn't believe what just happened. James Potter, who had publicly declared his love for her every chance her could get for the past six years had just had the opportunity to kiss her and he actually helped her.

She's not blind, ever since the incident at the end of last year, he has been just a little more reserved than before. Not altogether different: still thinking of himself to be perfect and still not taking no for an answer. But there hasn't been too many embarrassing public displays of affection. And Lily has definetley noticed he is not bullying as much nor as many people as he did in the years before. And now this… maybe he was changing.

"Are you going home for the holidays then?" Said James as the pasted the fifth floor corridor entrance.

"Yes. How about you?" She returned, still thinking about his past actions.

"Yeah. The guys are coming to my house this year, should be fun- the four of us altogther at my house during the holidays." He grinned.

She snorted lightly. "Oh yes, I imagine your parents feel the same way. Having four rambunctious marauders disrupting the peaceful quietness they've become so accustomed to." She said.

"Actually, they love when the guys come over. My parents love having a house full of people. Besides, we keep them young! Or so they say anyway." James laughed. "Besides, there's something about Christmas that just makes it all the better." He said happily.

"I know what you mean, everyone is just more cheerful during the holidays, and even my sister isn't totally horrible to be around during Christmas break." Lily agreed.

They were just now coming to the portrait of the now sleeping fat lady. They waked her as politely as they could and once she finished complaining about the disrespectful late comers they gave her the password.

"Mistletoe." He said while smirking sideways at Lily who in turn blushed lightly and her thoughts returned to wondering why James had let her go.

They stepped into the deserted common room and went in the directions of their respective dormitories. "Good night Evans." He said while walking in the direction of the boy's staircase.

"Wait," she said, halting his movements. He turned to look inquisitively at her. "Why did you remove the spell from the mistletoe?"

He just looked at her. "Would you rather I have kissed you Evans? You don't need mistletoe, all you have to do is ask." He said jokingly.

She sighed and he could tell he was about to lose all the good that had just happened between them so he sighed and told her why. "Evans despite what you may think of me, I would never force you into doing something you don't want to do. Well, at least not something so…. Personal." He looked at her and she could tell he was giving her the real reason. Lily was very touched by his honesty and consideration.

She took a few small steps towards him. "That's surprisingly sweet of you Potter." She said. She surprised even herself by leaning in and kissing him softly on his cheek.

She pulled by to see his stunned expression and felt a grin tug at the corners of her lips.

"Happy Christmas." And with that, she walked up the stairs, towards her dorm.

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><p><strong>AN: The first of many, hopefully I will be inspired to write a few more sometime in the next couple of days. **

**Happy holidays!**

**Christmas countdown: 20 days!**


	2. Christmas Eve in Godric's Hollow

**A/N: Back again! The second one-shot for my holiday collection. This one focuses on Harry and Hermione's friendship. I am almost finished reading the seventh book again and while I was reading the "Godrics Hollow" chapter, this idea popped into my head. Just a short little thing about them reuturning to the graveyard a year after the war and reflecting on what they went through.**

**D****isclaimer: I only own this in my dreams.**

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><p>Little white flurries blew all around Harry as he walked up the small stone path to the small townhouse. The sky was darkening and the air was numbing his exposed skin. He pressed a finger to the doorbell and listened as it rang. He could hear hurried footsteps on the other side and lifted his head slightly higher when the door finally opened to reveal Hermione.<p>

"Hello." He greeted with a small smile.

"Harry, hi, come in for a moment. I just need to grab my jumper." Hermione said while opening the door more so he could step in. Harry followed her in quietly through the front entrance into the little foyer where the door led to the sitting room.

Candles were lit, spread out around the room and smelling of honey and vanilla. Seasonal decorations were all about the room, bringing in the festive cheer. The aura of the room screamed 'happy holidays'.

The first time he stepped inside his house, he immediately knew Hermione had been raised here. A large bookshelf filled to the brim with of course, books, sat in the very corner of the sitting room. Next to it, a large cozy looking sitting chair by an old antique lamp.

As he was looking around the room, a shuffling of footsteps brought his attention back to the brown-eyed girl.

"My mum and dad just left to go to their friends for dinner, they're sorry they missed you and they would love to have you over for tea with us sometime soon." She explained while sliding into her jacket.

"Wonderful, I'd love to see them again." Finally, after all these years, Harry and Ron had actually gotten a chance to meet and have more than a brief conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Granger. After the war, they had helped Hermione find them in Australia and obtain their memories and every once in a while they all go over to the Grangers for afternoon tea.

Harry was happy he got to know this side of Hermione. He liked getting to know her parents and could see a lot of them in her.

"Ready?" She said looking up, when she was all settled, bundled up in a winter jacket, with a scarf, mittens and hat to match.

"Let's go." He said and together they walked out onto the porch. The snow was falling slightly heavier now and as they walked down the lane they were pointing out all the wonderful lights of Hermione's neighbors.

As they got to the end of the lane, they moved to a more secluded spot. Together, they joined hands and prepared to disapparate.

With a crack, they were gone. They landed as gracefully as possible and the snow covered lane was silent as they took in their surroundings.

"Can you believe it's been a year since we've last been here?" He heard her ask quietly. "I can't believe everything that has happened since." She carried on. He took her hand gently and started to lead her to the golden streetlights that indicated the centre of the village.

Harry and Hermione found themselves once again in Godric's Hollow. It was a year ago today that they had first come here in search of clues toward a horcrux and the likes of Bathilda Bagshot.

They walked silently past all the snow covered cottages just as they before. The village hadn't changed much since they had first visited it, but the air was not as tense and nervous as it once had been. It lighter, much more holiday decorations were out and about, in front of people houses, which were in much better shape than beforehand too. Holiday cheer was really in the air this year.

They continued just as quietly down the lane, walking curved to the left and the heart of the village where a small square was brought before them. They walked through the square and once again stopped to see the war memorial and after a few moments of staring at the statues of his parents and his young self, they continued on their way to the kissing gate at the entrance of the graveyard.

There feet crunched the hardened snow beneath them and both could clearly remember where exactly they grave they were in search for lies. Once they found what they were looking for, Hermione dropped Harry's hand and gave him space while he kneeled down in front of his parent's grave.

Behind him, Hermione pulled out her wand, moved it in a circle through the air and a Christmas wreath appeared just as she had done at this time last year. And like the year before, Harry caught it and lay it down against the headstone.

After Harry and Hermione had finished paying their respects, they continued to walk through the cemetery, enjoying the peacefulness of the area: something they had did not have the chance to experience last time.

Beside Hermione, Harry cleared his throat. "'Mione, I don't think I ever properly thanked you for all that you did for me during the war," He started.

"Harry, don't be silly. You don't have to thank me." Hermione interrupted him, using a matter-of-fact tone.

"But I do. You were the only one who was there for me during…everything. You never left me, even when I thought you might; you never did. And I could be a right git at times during that run too, but you never stopped being there for me. I just wanted you to know how much that means to me. And how glad I am to have had you by my side." Harry finished quietly, hoping he sounded as grateful as he truly felt.

"You're my best friend Harry; I couldn't let you face that alone. And I'm happy that my presence was of some comfort to you, Merlin knows you were the one to keep me going. You were and are my rock through everything Harry. I'm glad I got to spend Christmas on the run with you, as twisted as that sounds." She finished with a laugh.

"Happy Christmas Hermione." Harry smiled.

"Happy Christmas Harry."

They continued to walk through the small village, taking in the few kids throwing snowballs in the front yard of their cottage…. the elderly couple out for a stroll… the small group of carolers walking the streets… They went to visit Bathilda's house and reveled in memories of that night. They made sure to go see the old Potter house, which still held the plaque- that had now acquired even more names and notes("We owe the world to Harry Potter", "the boy-who-lived is the boy-who-won").

Soon after, after another quick walk around to bask in the solitude of the small village, Harry and Hermione made their way to The Burrow- where they were due to meet the Weasleys and a few other friends for a Christmas Eve feast.

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><p><strong>AN: Hope you liked it! Feel free to leave a review! Also, if you have a request of something you might like to see, I would some ideas.**

**Christmas Countdown: 19 days left!**


	3. A Marauder Feast

**A/N: Why hello again! Here is the third one-shot for my collection. I have to say I am very proud of myself, three updates in three days: thats a record for me! This one is about the Marauders, three of them are a few of my favorite characters. It's kind of short, but it's what came to me...**

**Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter. Yes, I also speak 11 different languages, live at the North Pole and invented a time machine. In case you don't understand, that was sarcasm. In case you need further explanation: I do not actually own Harry Potter.**

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><p>The four boys were stifled their laughter as they made their way through the corridors. "Shhh." Remus reminded them.<p>

"Relax Moony, we have the map, nobody is anywhere near us right now, we don't even need the cloak." James Potter reasoned with his sometimes furry friend. "Besides, if we do get caught, it's Christmas Eve, they'll go easy on us."

"Oh the benefits of holiday cheer!" Said a young Sirius Black and a short, plump boy by the name of Peter Pettigrew snickered in agreement beside him.

The four boys-practically brothers- were wandering their way through the large candle lit castle on their way to kitchens for a late night snack.

They were being careless, easily slipping out of the cloak and not minding the volume of their voices. This wasn't the first time they had snuck out well after hours, and definitely not the first time going to the kitchens.

When they arrived at the portrait of the bowl of fruit, Remus-still under the protection of the cloak- reached out his left hand and tickled the pear. It giggled and turned into a door handle. He turned it slightly and the portrait swung open to reveal a replica of the Great Hall. Not as many house-elves were around now, being that during the night is when they go around cleaning the castle but as soon as a few of them saw the four boys enter, they immediately turned their path: heading straight for them.

"Misters Black, Lupin, Potter and Pettigrew! What good it is to see you all again! What can Pinky do for you?" An eager house-elf with small ears and huge eyes asked gleefully.

""Ello Pinky," Started James kindly leaning down slightly to be closer to the tiny elf. "We were in our room and decided we were hungry. Is there any of the Christmas Eve Feast left over?" He asked excitedly. Peter squeaked, his mouth watering at the idea of the Christmas pudding they had already had earlier in the night. Remus was dreaming of the double chocolate Yule log he had had many helpings of. While both James and Sirius were in the mood for a big bowl of Christmas dressing and ham.

"Why of course Master Potter! You four take a seat and allow Pinky to get you all some more food!"

"Thank you Pinky!" They exclaimed happily in unison.

The four boys sat at the respective table and started talking about the holidays.

"You know you guys didn't have to stay here. I would've been fine on my own." Said Remus worriedly. "I know you guys enjoy the holidays with your family."

Sirius snorted loudly at the proclamation and looked at Remus. "I hate anytime spent with my family. And no, you wouldn't be fine on your own, you would go back to what it was like before, you shouldn't have to feel worse over the holidays. I'm happy to stay here with you mate."

Remus smiled at him in thanks.

"Sure, Christmas with the folks is fun but I've had sixteen Christmases with them already. I'm excited to be here at Hogwarts! Just the four of us in the castle, running wild through the night in a couple days. I'm happy to be here with you guys. And mate, the whole reason we became what we did was so you wouldn't have to go through anymore nights alone." James said softly, trying to make his friend understand that he wasn't causing them turmoil.

"Yeah, exactly." Agreed Peter, not offering anymore than what had already been said.

"You guys are the greatest friends I could ever ask for." Remus said quietly, letting the emotion in his voice let them hear how much they meant to him.

The thoughtful silence that had just occurred as the boys stared smiling at each others words was broken when Pinky and a few other house-elves put many different sized bowls down on the table in front of them.

Before them, James and Sirius had plates fill to the edges, piled in mountains of dressing, ham, shepherds pie, chipolata, cranberry sauce and rolls. Peter had a big helping of Christmas pudding and next to that a plate of different slices of dessert cakes and pies. Remus on the other hand, had practically a whole Yule log to himself. Each of the boys had two small drinks placed in front of them: one being eggnog and the other was hot chocolate.

"Blimey, thanks Pinky! You really outdid yourself." James thanked kindly before digging right into his meal.

"'eah, 'anks a lot. i's delicious" Said a full-mouthed Sirius who had taken a large bite out of his plate before it was even set down.

"Thank you Pinky." Said Remus and Peter simultaneously before digging in themselves.

A little while later, the boy's stomachs were as full as they were going to get and they wouldn't need food for another hour or so ("We're growing boys!").

They pulled out the map and threw the cloak over themselves and set off back to the Gryffindor common room. The path back was still clear and once again, they felt free to be as careless as usual.

The boys went to sleep very full on Christmas Eve: from the food but also from the knowledge that their friendship meant the same to each one of them: the world.

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><p><strong>AN:Well there it is, I hope you enjoyed it! Hopefully I will be able to post another one sometime tomorrow. I'll do my best, I want to continue this roll I'm on! Besdies I alreayd have a pretty good idea of what I want to happen in the next one so I hope actually writing it will come easily to me.**

**Review?**

**Christmas Countdown:18 days!**


	4. A Christmas Engagement

**A/N: Why hello there! I'm back with another short story, this one contains a Harry/Ron friendship! Although I'm not a big fan of the Ginny/Harry relationship, it is a focal point in this story. The timing may be a little off but I just put it together quickly in my head so bear with me. Thank you to all those who have reviewed, put this on story alert or have even just read this collection of one-shots.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunatley, not now nor ever will I own Harry Potter.**

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><p>Harry and Ron made their way down the old snowy stone path they knew so well. They had just left Hogwarts: school of witchcraft and wizardry where they had been visiting a Defense Against the Dark Arts class. They had been invitied to retell their famous tale of how five years ago they brought down Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.<p>

After visiting some of their old friends and teachers, they decided to go down to Hogsmeade for some Christmas shopping! They could've easily apparated once they were out of the school grounds but decided a nice trip down memory lane- literally- would be nice.

"Blimey, everyone I looked at was paying attention to everything I was saying. That's not something I'm used to, normally zone out after the first couple minutes when I'm talking." Ron said disbelievingly at how interested and attentive the class was. "Are they always like that?"

This was the first time Ron had joined Harry in one of his class discussions and was not expecting how much the class would like having them. He underestimated how much people would love to hear the story of how they had saved the wizarding world.

"Every single class I've been to so far has been exactly like that. I think they like hearing about the first-hand experience in the war. I don't know, but they're always great." Harry confirmed.

They continued to walk the way, talking about all the questions they had been asked and deciding that they should definitely bring Hermione along for the fun last time: who had always been too busy on the days when Harry invited her.

"Speaking of Hermione, I have no bloody clue what to get her." Ron started and Harry laughed at his friends tone.

"I mean, I was thinking about getting her some new books, but every time I see her she's already got new sodding books with her. And I can't keep track of which ones she already has!" He complained.

They had finally arrived in the colorful village of Hogsmeade and have now slowed their pace to allow themselves a good look at the displays in the shop windows.

"I don't like buying clothing for her. If I get it too small, it's like I'm trying to say something and if I get it too big its like I'm saying I think she's huge or something!" He said worriedly and Harry couldn't help but laugh at his friends reasoning.

"I just don't know." He sighed dejectedly. "What are you getting Ginny?"

Harry hesitated; he had an idea of exactly what he wanted to get Ginny for Christmas, though he was very nervous about telling Ron.

"Actually, I was thinking about getting…." He sighed and just threw it out there. "I was thinking I was going to get her a ring." He said and kept his eyes straight ahead, smiling slightly at the sight of a little boy holding his fathers hand and throwing handfuls of snow in the air.

"Like… Like for marriage? An engagement ring?" Ron said, his tone not betraying his emotions.

Harry took a glance to his right at his best mate and saw that Ron didn't seem to look mad or upset. Just- curious. "Yeah, like an engagement ring." He said after a minute.

When he chanced a look at Ron again, he exhaled a sigh of relief when he saw his friend was smiling.

"Are you okay with that?" Harry knew that Ron didn't object to his relationship. But that was when he was dating Ginny, now he was talking about marriage- till death due them part- and he was worried Ron wouldn't still feel the same way.

"What do you mean am I 'okay with it'?" Ron asked bewildered. "Of course I am, my best mate gets to become my brother-in-law! But are you sure you want to marry Ginny? I mean, she's got my mothers temper, that one!" Ron reminded him jokingly.

Harry laughed and reassured both Ron and himself. "Yes, I want to marry Ginny. She makes me happy. Very very happy." He said smiling slightly.

"Well then I'm happy for you." Said Ron calmly.

"Good. Thanks… for being okay with this. Now I just need to talk to your Dad. And the rest of your brothers I guess." Harry said, his worry returning slightly.

"You're going to ask them to? Is that what you do?" Ron asked, confused.

"Well I don't know, I've never proposed before Ron." Harry said. "But I'm pretty sure it's the polite thing to do." He finished.

"Well good luck then, you know us Weasley's: very protective." Ron said nonchalantly.

That made Harry pause shortly before saying in a monotone voice. "Yeah, thanks for the encouragement."

He continued to walk with Ron and they decided to stop at the Three Broomsticks for a quick round of butterbeer.

They had just received their drinks when Ron exclaimed. "Oh bullocks!"

Harry looked up worriedly at his friend outburst. "What is everything okay?"

"This means I have to get Hermione a _really_ good gift now." Said Ron, "thanks for upstaging me mate."

Harry laughed and with a pat on the back said "No problem Ron."

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><p><strong>AN: Four for four! Hopefully, I will get the chance to get another short one up sometime tomorrow! I hope you liked it and if you did; review? They really make my day!**

**Christmas Countdown: 17 days left!**

**Laura**


	5. O Christmas Tree

**A/N: I meant to have this out a little earlier but I didn't have any ideas for a new story and I've been working a lot lately. Hopefully I will be able to get another out soon.**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter forever belongs to the brilliant J.K Rowling.**

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><p>"It's too small Ron! I'm telling you, the one over there looks perfect." Exclaimed Hermione, pointing to a full, tall tree a few yards away from where the three young adults stood.<p>

"Fine then, let's go see how good it is." Ron said begrudgingly before following Hermione to the tree she had spotted.

Harry was already ahead of them, striding towards the tree Hermione was pointing at. Once all three of them were standing in front of the tree, they took a moment to judge it. It was a beautiful tree. About 8 feet tall, it stood nice and full. It looked like the perfect Christmas tree.

"See! Isn't it perfect? Harry, what do you think? It is going in your flat after all." Hermione questioned.

"Good job Hermione, as always." He joked.

"Good. So what spell should we use?" Ron asked, taking out his wand.

"Oh no no no, we agreed we would do this the muggle way. It makes it all the more fun!" Hermione reminded him.

"I thought you just meant we would take the muggle way of getting here and back. How the bloody hell are we supposed to cut this thing down without magic?" Ron said bewildered.

Harry and Hermione just looked at each other and grinned. Hermione pulled a small beaded handbag the boys hadn't seen in a long while out of her jacket pocket and extracted a covered small saw from it.

"What in the name of Merlin is that?" He asked shocked. Hermione handed the saw to Harry who began to take off the protective covering. "This mate is how we're cutting the tree down." And with that Harry laid down on the ground right under the tree and began to saw the trunk.

"Ron, hold it and make sure it doesn't fall on top of Harry when he finishes cutting through it." Hermione instructed.

Ron stepped towards the tree and grabbed a hold of the trunk, listening to Harry cut down the tree.

Hermione was so excited; she was practically bouncing on her feet. This was the time they were doing something like this. Harry had just purchased his very own flat in London, just down the street from the Leaky Cauldron. And this would be his very first Christmas in there so they thought they would do something special. And what was a better way to decorate for Christmas then to get a Christmas tree. Once the trio had started talking about it, Hermione and even Harry (who never had the best Christmases until he went to Hogwarts) started reminiscing about their childhood holidays in the muggle world. They decided that it would be fun to do it the muggle way.

Once they had tied the tree to the top of the car (borrowed from Hermione's parents) they set on their way. They had gone to a Christmas tree farm just outside of London, a good hour away form Harry's new place. They spent the ride listening to Christmas carols on the radio and explaining the story of Santa Claus to Ron. Who in return gave his story of wizards' Father Christmas and they started pointing out all the differences between the two.

Harry parked the car as carefully as he could (still getting used to driving one) and he followed Ron and Hermione out of the car. "Well, now that we're back we get to use magic right?" Said Ron happily, as he did not like having to carry the enormous tree to the car beforehand.

"It's the middle of the day in muggle London, we can't use magic now Ron." Harry remninded him. "Come on mate; let's get this thing down, and up to my flat." He said, grinning at his friend's uninterested moan.

With the help of Hermione cutting the ropes holding the tree to the car roof and holding open the doors, they made their way inside. It took a while, but only with slight difficulty did they manage to through the door of Harry's home.

Having only been there a few weeks at the moment, his walls were still bear and not all the boxes had been unpacked. "Don't worry Harry, we'll open up all the decorations we bought the other day and this place will be packed with holiday cheer!" Hermione said happily.

That's one thing both Harry and Ron had been noticing since Hermione had come home from school on break. She has been impossibly cheerful, especially when talking about holiday things.

"Hermione, why are you so happy?" Harry asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking at him confused, while taking off her outdoor things.

"He's right; you've been just really cheerful since you've been home. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just… odd." Ron added. "I just don't remember you getting this….giddy around the holidays before." Harry said, fearing they had accidentally insulted her.

"Is it such a bad thing that I'm happy? I've missed you two, I know we write every couple of days, but Hogwarts isn't the same without you guys." She started. "I'm just happy to be here. Not to mention this is the first Christmas since we've known each other that there hasn't been some bad thing hanging over our heads. No mysterious person to find out about, nobody is being attacked by snakes, there's not a supposed killer on the loose. There's just nothing to worry about for once in our lives. Everybody is happy and excited and it just, I feel it you know? Don't you guys?" Hermione said, sitting down on the black couch.

Harry stopped for a second to take in what she had said. He looked at Ron and could tell he hadn't really thought about it either.

"I never really considered this Christmas compared to all the others…" Harry admitted to her.

"Man this year is going to be boring isn't it?" Ron said on his way into Harry's pantry for food.

Harry and Hermione both laughed at his view on the subject. "No, it's going to be perfect!" Hermione said.

And she was right; they had brought out all the decorations they had bought in both diagon alley and in some muggle shops a few days earlier. Soon his flat was littered with stuffed animals, garland, plastic Christmas trees, and toy trains and much more all in the traditional colors of green and red.

The tree looked beautiful; they spent a while trimming it, drinking hot chocolate and butterbeer all throughout the night. Laughing and remembering past Christmases and people at Hogwarts. The tree was covered in homemade and store bought ornaments, popcorn was strung on strings and circled all around the tree. Hermione charmed the lights to make a pattern with the colors and the golden trio stood at Harry's front door at the end of the night to admire both the tree and the flat itself.

Hermione had been right, like usual, that Christmas was perfect. They were happy, no one was trying to hurt them or bring them down and they were together.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, I hoped you guys liked it! And if you did, please review: they really inspire me to right more!**

**Christmas Countdown: 12 Days!**

**Laura**


	6. The Best Gift

**A/N: Hello there fellow fanfictioners! Thank you for joining me once again for another holiday short story. Not sure how good this one is: came into my head and thought I'd give it a try. I love Neville, but I'm not sure if I did a good job writing this one**

**Disclaimer: I wish I had the talent J.K Rowling has: the ability to create a whole other world. As for now, I just use the storylines in my head with the characters and places in hers. AKA, this does not belong to me.**

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><p>"Look, its snowing!" Said Neville, enthusiastically." Isn't it beautiful, mum?"<p>

Alice Long bottom muttered something unrecognizable while holding out a Drooble's Best blowing Gum Wrapper to her son. He smiled understandingly at her and put the wrapper in his pocket before taking her hand.

"I asked the healers, they said I can take you out in the courtyard for a little bit. Get some fresh air, and some exercise. How does that sound?" He asked her gently. It was nearing Christmas in Neville's Sixth year of school. He had just gotten off the Hogwarts Express and went straight to St. Mungos to see his parents, as he did almost every year.

Once again, Alice muttered something while staring down at the floor.

"We can go for a short walk, or just sit and watch the others. Maybe we can even build a snowman." He suggested, wanting to find something to please her.

"Snowman?" She muttered looking up at him through heavy lids.

"Yeah, snowman. We can give him a mouth, and a carrot nose, and dress him up for the weather!" Neville exclaimed, excited he was getting somewhere. There haven't been a lot of times when she actually reacted to something he was saying, besides giving him a gum wrapper.

"Let's go get you bundled up and then we can go build one, okay." He said, taking her hand and leading her toward the healer who was waiting with a jacket.

Once they were both ready to embrace the winter cold Neville, still holding his mothers hand, led the way to the small courtyard located just off the main floor corridor.

Snow was still lightly falling when they stepped outside, not a lot of other patients were out there. Just a few who had minor injuries and had family visiting.

The healers in his parents ward were very strict with there rules. Where they allowed their patients to go and with whom. They were far too busy to monitor all the patients with visitors. When Neville had gone to his parent's usual healer, requesting a short time outside with his parents, he was expecting them to say no. But it seems that the spirit of Christmas had infected the usually tough healer and was granted permission to take one of his parents out: for it was said that it can be difficult to handle both on his own.

Seeing as his father had been a having a hard day, he was allowed to spend time with his mother.

Neville led his mother over to a secluded corner of the small snow covered area and sat her down on the bench that was placed near by.

He smiled at her and began to roll the snow that would be used as the snowman's body. While doing this, Neville began to tell his mother all about his sixth year at Hogwarts. Though he knew she wasn't paying attention- she hardly ever did- he noticed that for once her mind wasn't staring off into space: she seemed entranced by the snowman he was building.

When he was finished the body, the went to the box of decorations left out on the table by the healers. He gathered some objects he thought they could use to decorate their snowman.

"Here you go mum," He said, handing her a carrot. "Place it anywhere you like." He gently placed the vegetable in her hand, watching her as she stared at it. He was hoping that she would continue to respond to him, this had been the best visit he has had with her in a while. She seemed to be enjoying herself, as much as she could at least.

Slowly, she grasped the carrot stronger in her own hand and jammed it into the middle part of the snowman. She looked back up at her son and gave him a tiny, but happy smile. This made Neville smile the brightest he had in a while. He laughed lightly and took the buttons he had grabbed from the box. He gave her one, took one for himself and stuck them in the head of the snowman: trying to get her to follow him as he created the snowman's smile.

She followed as best as she could, making the smile a little lopsided but still there and visible. They continued to decorate their creation. After a half hour more, the healer came out saying it had been long enough and Neville helped his mother inside.

He gave a quick visit to his dad, who still was not having a good day and bid his mother goodbye. As he leaned back from hugging her, she gave him another tiny, but happy smile.

And on his way back to his grandmother's house, he was thinking about the best gift he was going to get this Christmas: his mother's smile.

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><p><strong>AN: So it was very short but I tried to make it sweet. Thank you for reading... review? **

**Also, a big shout out to hmweasley and LupinxTonks4ever, these two wonderful people have reviewed every chapter so far and each review has put a smile on my face! Thank you very much for encouraging me to write:)**

**Christmas Countdown: 8 Days!**


	7. Christmas in the Forest

**A/N: Not too sure how I feel about this one. Very short. I just really wanted to do something involving Hagrid but im not too sure how this turned out.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own this.**

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><p>Hagrid stomped through the forest ground, following his own made trail to where his brother Grawp resided.<p>

The ground was covered in white fluffy snow and the gift Hagrid was bringing his dear brother kept getting caught on tree branches. It was very early in the morning on December 25th. So early, that the sky was still slightly dark, only having rays of orange and yellow off on the horizon in the distance.

Hagrid was very excited this morning. He had to been able to see his brother in a while. It had been almost a year since the war ended and Hogwarts was slowly, but surely being restored to its former glory. There was a lot of damage done in the battle but a lot of wonderful people have been helping out. Hagrid had been busy lately, trying to find enough trees to cover up the larger cracks in the walls. He was really trying to make Christmas at Hogwarts perfect this year, to make it up to the students who had to suffer last year.

He was nearing the familiar clearing once again. Grawp was once again living in the forest to be close to Hagrid.

He stepped forward a few more feet and saw a large mound lying asleep on the ground. Once Hagrid stepped on a branch and caused a loud crack, the sleeping giant grunted and made to get up.

Grawp turned around and his face contorted into what appeared to be a big happy smile. "Haygrid!' He grunted his English coming a long way since he had first met his brother.

"'Ello Grawpy! 'appy Christmas to ya. How are ye today?" Hagrid said with a beaming smile upon his face.

"Good." Grawp responded, making it sound a little like 'gooed'.

"I brough' ye a gift. I hope ye like 't." From behind his back, Hagrid pulled out a fairly worn out dull red bicycle. "Te replace the ol' one." He further explained.

"Tank you Haygrid!" Grawp said politely, taking two fingers and picking up the bike from Hagrid.

After examining it for a few seconds, he put it down right beside him and looked at Hagrid curiously for a moment. Suddenly, he took hold of a branch to the right of his head and snapped it right off the tree trunk. "fer you."

"Oh thank ye Grawp! You didn't 'ave te get me anything! But I 'ppreciate it all the same." Hagrid said, taking the large branch that was being offered to him.

Hagrid stayed with Grawp for a while longer in the forest, continuing to teach him new words, and telling him about what was going on at Hogwarts.

It wasn't a 'normal' Christmas by any standards. Staying for hours in a cold forest with your giant half-brother. But it was what made both Hagrid and Grawp happy. After all, there is nothing better than being with family at the holidays.

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><p><strong>AN: Christmas is only one week away! I can't believe it, I'm super excited. I hope you liked this story, hopefully I will be able to get a few more out before Christmas but I'm going to be pretty busy with work this week! If you liked it... review? It means a lot to me!**

**Christmas Countdown: 6 days!**


	8. Weasley Family Christmas

**A/N: Got the inspiration to write this today! I'll try to get another up before christmas but I can't promise anything because starting tomorrow I work everyday until christmas eve... Anways, I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter will never be mine. Thank you fanfiction for making me remind myself of this at the beginning of every chapter…**

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><p>"Fred, George stop taking your Ron's teddy!" Molly Weasley scolded her young twins, all the while trying to soothe her crying daughter.<p>

"Sorry, mum." They answered politely back having stopped trying to pry the worn out brown bear from their little brothers flailing hands. As soon as she turned her back though, they were straight back to it.

"Evening Weasleys! Happy Christmas eve, are you all excited to see what Father Christmas has brought you this year?" Arthur Weasley greeted his family happily coming home from a long day of work.

"Yeah!" They twins shouted gleefully, punching fists into the air with excitement.

"Must you rile them up even more Arthur?" Molly chided playfully while giving her husband a peck on the lips; little Ginny still crying gently in her arms. She passed her daughter over to her husband and went back to setting the table for Christmas Eve dinner.

"Did you see the boys in the field on your way in? Can you tell them dinners just about done?" Molly asked while waving her wand; making a jug of pumpkin juice pour itself into nine glasses.

"Yes I did, and I already told them." He responded happily, giving his daughter a smile, tickling her tummy and succeeding in making her giggle; tears long forgotten.

"Fred, George, can you go get Percy for dinner please." Molly asked absentmindedly. "Politely!" She added as an afterthought.

The boys slowly made their way up from where they had been sitting next to Ron in the sitting area. Together, they climbed the stairs, chanting as they went up "Oh Percy!"

"Ronnie, come on sweetie lets get you cleaned up for dinner!" Molly said, walking over to where her two year old son was still clutching his bear and picking him up.

Just as she got Ron down in his highchair her two oldest sons, Bill and Charlie came bounding in. Red in the face and hair covered in snow, they still looked around their house happily.

"Look at you two! Where are your hats, I made sure you had them on when you first went outside!" Molly exclaimed, taking Charlie's face in her hands feeling how cold it was.

"Mom, it's not that cold out, the hats were making us sweat with all the running around we were doing!" Bill explained, pulling his own black hat out of his pocket. Charlie following his lead after shaking off his mothers worried hands.

"You will wear your hats at all times whether you like it or not. Understood?" She questioned, glaring down upon them.

"Yes, ma'am." They muttered in unison. Molly nodded once curtly, happy with their response and went back to getting dinner ready.

"How was work today dad?" Bill asked eagerly as he and his brother began taking off their winter clothing.

"Not too bad Bill, not too bad. Gets to be a bit busy around the holidays but all is well." Arthur answered his oldest son.

Fred and George came bounding down the stairs, jumping into their seats around the dinner table. Six year old Percy came down slowly after them, taking his respective seat at the table across from the twins.

Once everyone was seated, Molly waved her wand to begin to serve the food. Everyone had helpings of roast beef on their plates, with shepherds pie and stew on the side. Baby Ginny sat perched on Molly's lap to be fed and Fred and George got scolded more than once to stop playing with their food.

"Let's hurry up and finish eating so we can get to the presents!" Charlie suggested to his siblings. Ron was having no trouble with this instruction as he was stuffing as much food that could fit into his mouth. ("You have to chew Ronald!")

"Presents!" They twins shouted enthusiastically.

Dinner was filled with laughter of many stories; from Arthur who always had a funny tale to tell form his work at the ministry but also from Bill: who had captured both Percy and Charlie's attention with his stories about Hogwarts, where he was currently in his second year.

After dinner, armed with hot cocoa the Weasleys settled down in front of their small Christmas- cut down by Arthur and Charlie a few weeks beforehand.

"Okay, you know the rules; everybody gets one present each. I'll choose the first gift." Arthur got up form his seat shared with Molly and Ginny. He crouched down beside the tree and picked a bright orange bulky present at random. Reading the tag he announced 'To Ron, love Fred and George'

Molly gave them an apprehensive look, wondering if they would try to pull something with that gift of theirs before deciding to give them a chance and look down at her youngest son, who was sitting by her feet.

Arthur handed him the present, encouraging him to open it, helping a little when needed and Ron began to roughly tear apart the wrapping. When the wrapping was all gone, everybody could see that it was a little blanket, decorated with quidditch items. Ron stared at the blanket in utter fascination before disregarding the teddy he had been clutching all night and taking the blanket into his hold. He had thrown the bear in Ginny's direction who took it happily, smiling. He looked up at his older brothers smiling in thanks.

Molly was looking at her boys, surprised their gift had been so sweet and also wondering where they found that familiar blanket. At her questioning glance they answered. "We found it in an old box out in the shed." George started. "You said to think of something good, but that's all we could come up with." Fred continued.

"Boys that was very sweet of you. Good job on the gift!" Molly cooed.

"I think that use to be mine when I was Ron's age." Bill put out there, looking at how happy his brother was with the blanket.

"Okay, next present!" Charlie interrupted.

Laughing, Mr. Weasley went to pick p another one. "This ones for… Charlie. From Bill."

Charlie took it quickly, smiling as he unwrapped it. It was revealed to be a slightly worn copy of Hogwarts: a history.

"I know how excited you are to go to Hogwarts, this way you can be prepared with all its secrets!" Bill explained.

"Awesome, thanks!" Charlie said, having already opened the book and reading a few excerpts from it.

The next present was to Fred and George from Charlie which turned out to be a joke book he got with money he saved up. They were very happy with this gift.

Percy had received a new journal from his parents and now there was just one gift left to give. "Wait are you talking about, all you children have gotten something. You know the rules, one gift on Christmas eve." Molly explained when Bill said there was one last gift.

"But you two haven't opened anything." Bill said, pulling out an average sized rectangular gift from a hiding spot next to the couch. "It's not much, but we though you might appreciate it."

Together, Molly and Arthur opened the present. Inside, they found a framed photograph of their children. It had been taken in the summertime, before bill left for school. They were sitting in the yard just outside the kitchen window.

Bill was holding a tiny Ginny in his arms pointing at the camera and trying to get a smile out of her, Charlie was next to him with his arm around his shoulder and a carefree smile on upon his features. Percy was standing, straight and proud in the middle, with a small smile gracing his face also. Fred and George had tucked Ron in the middle of them and were messing with his bright ginger hair.

Arthur and Molly couldn't help the large smiled that graced both their faces as they looked down at this picture. It probably had taken a lot of effort to get everyone ready and enthusiastic about a photo, and to do it without them knowing was next to impossible with the eye Molly keeps on her children but they had done it. And it turned out beautifully.

"This is the best gift kids. Thank you very much." Arthur said for both molly and himself.

A little while later, after some holiday's carols and a little more hot cocoa, the children were tucked into bed. Once the house was silent, Molly and Arthur ventured back downstairs and sat together cuddled on the loveseat thinking about their family.

"IT really was an amazing gift." Molly commented thinking of how sweet her children were.

"Yeah. We've raised them well, if I do say so myself. We did good."

"Happy Christmas Arthur." She said softly

"Happy Christmas Mollywobbles." He said, bringing a light blush to her face.

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><p><strong>AN: So if I don't get a chance to update soon, I wish you all Happy Holidays whether you celebrate christmas or anything else. And have a very Happy New Year!**

**Christmas Countdown: 5 Days!**


	9. Happy New Year

**A/N: This is the last short story I will have for the collection! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! Thank you for reading and reviewing. Just for those wondering, this could be considered a continuation of "A Christmas Engagement", it takes place about a year after that story.**

**Disclaimer: For the last time in this collection, I do not own Harry Potter.**

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><p>Ron anxiously waited in his girlfriends flat while she got dressed for their evening out. His hands were shaking slightly and as he found he couldn't sit still; he had taken to pacing the length of the couch.<p>

They had declined Harry's invitation to join him and a newly pregnant Ginny for New Years celebrations and opted to spend the evening just the two of them. Hermione thought it would be nice to be just by them selves for once while Ron had other reasons. He had decided it was time to propose to his girlfriend and he thought tonight would be the perfect time.

Ron had known for a while that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Hermione Granger: Just like he had known for long time during his school years that he had feelings for her. And like the time it took to finally get together, it's taken a while to build up the nerve to ask her to be his wife.

Of course he's been thinking about marriage since they first got together. Yes they were young but they have been so close forever and have been through so much. Especially after going through the war, he learned that life can be gone in the blink of an eye and not to waste time. Spend as much time as possible with the ones you love while you can.

His idea of marriage only increased as he watched his best friend and his little sister go through it. While watching them plan where and when, pick out the outfits; send out the invitations, and particularly on their wedding day: as he stood up and gave his best man speech, all he could picture was his own wedding to the love of his life.

"I'm almost ready!" Hermione called out from behind the closed door.

"Take your time." Ron called back, trying to prolong it. It's not like he had a lot of doubts. He knew he wanted to spend forever with Hermione, he wasn't doubting whether she would say yes (they've talked a little about this before) but still there was something so nerve racking about proposing.

Because it is possible she will say no (highly unlikely, but possible). It's possible that he'll muck up the speech he has been reciting over and over again in his head since he had finalized his plan to propose. It's possible that he could do something stupid like he usually does and they could get into one of their legendary fights. Anything's possible.

He looked up when he heard the door to her bedroom open and his breath caught in his throat at the sight of his girlfriend. Hermione looked gorgeous in a red one-strapped dress that went down to her mid thigh. She had half her hair up and the other half of curls tamed slightly. Like normal, she didn't have a lot of make up on ("not like she needs it" Ron thinks to himself.) but she added a touch of lip gloss and blush to brighten up her face.

"Do I look alright?" Hermione asked a little self consciously.

"You look bloody fantastic." He confirmed, still a little dazed by the sight of her. He had seen her dressed up before and while he still thinks she is most beautiful when wearing her favorite comfy clothes and armed with a book; she never seizes to take his breath away when she dresses up like this. It's like he's seeing her all over again for the very first time. Ron couldn't believe how lucky he was to have a girl as beautiful and intelligent as she was.

Hermione blushed at his blunt reassurance and asked if he was ready to leave. Hermione was taking Ron to a muggle cinema to see one of her favorite classic movies. "Let's get going, shall we?" Ron asked his nerves calming slightly now that he was with Hermione. Still, the small velvet box felt heavy in his jacket pocket (he was wearing muggle clothing to fit in better).

Ron and Hermione apparated to The Three Broomsticks after the movie for a quick drink. "I'm so excited for Harry and Ginny! I can't believe he's going to be a father! And you get to be an uncle." Hermione started as soon as they placed their orders to Madame Rosmerta (two butterbeers).

"Yeah, it's pretty unbelievable. I mean a couple years ago we were all back in Hogwarts and now he's starting a family." Ron agreed, once again getting nervous as they were close to touching a certain subject.

Once they had finished their drinks, Ron led Hermione out into the cold night. It was just passing eleven-thirty as they walked passed the familiar shops. Ron took Hermione's hand silently and steered her towards a building they haven't been to in a while.

"Where are we going, Ron?" Hermione asked, confused as they continued to walk further out of the village.

Ron just turned a little more and smiled at her, keeping mum about his plans. Oddly, Hermione chose to accept him not answering her question and let him direct her.

Soon enough, they stood in front of the fence keeping people away from the Shrieking Shack, where they first saw it together, just the two of them, in third year.

"Wow, haven't seen it from this spot in a while." She commented and Ron put his hand over the outside of his back pocket, feeling the outline of the box. As he looked at her gazing upon the old ruins of the shack, he realized he wasn't as nervous as he thought he would be. He was actually quite calm, and excited. Although he felt this way on the inside, he could feel his face heat up from the blush that was growing: he wasn't an expert at expressing his feelings.

"'Mione," He started, pausing a second as she turned to look at him. "We didn't exactly get along when we first met…"

"That's an understatement." She interrupted and he just smiled as both theirs thoughts went back to their pre troll-fighting days.

"But I am such a lucky bloke to have gotten to know you: To get past that know-it-all attitude and find that you are a loyal and brilliant person. And I couldn't imagine my life without you in it. You have saved my life in so many ways, some you would never even realize and I know sometimes we have our…. Disagreements," he laughed a little bit, while Hermione stared at him, her face unreadable. "But I love those, and I love you." He pulled the box out of his back pocket and knelt down on one knee while opening it.

"Marry me?" he asked simply.

She looked at him, her jaw dropping a little, only pausing for a second before she leapt into his arms: just as she had done during the battle years ago.

Her grip around his neck was tight and he wrapped his arms around her waist in return. "That a yes, then?" he asked while grinning.

"Yes, Ronald!" She said, pulling back and smiling at him, leaning in to kiss him softly.

A loud cheer of "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" could be heard clearly from the village and right away fireworks lit up the sky. Ron slid the ring onto his fiancé's finger and the two just smiled at each other.

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><p><strong>AN: Happy New Year!**

**Laura**


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